ICMR Case Collection
Icfai Center for Management Research
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ShareIdeas.org: Social Innovation in the Mobile
Phone Industry
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CLBE005
This case was written by Hadiya Faheem and Suprabha Bakshi, under the direction of Debapratim
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Purkayastha, ICFAI Center for Management Research (ICMR). It was compiled from published sources,
and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or
ineffective handling of a management situation.
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2009, Icfai Center for Management Research. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
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CLBE/005
ShareIdeas.org: Social Innovation in the
Mobile Phone Industry
On June 20, 2007, Nokia Corporation1 (Nokia), the world leader in the mobile phone industry, in
association with Vodafone Group PLC2 (Vodafone) launched a website called ShareIdeas.org
(ShareIdeas). The website was launched with the stated aim of encouraging mobile phone users to
collaborate and share their ideas and know-how on using mobile technologies to address
environmental and social issues.
ShareIdeas is an interactive global wiki3 site that was launched with the tagline “Mobile
Knowledge for Social Change.” The wiki format was used since it provided a platform for users to
read, edit, and upload content on the site. The site encouraged users and organizations to
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collaborate online and share their experiences of using innovative applications in mobile
communications at any point of time and from any location. The site also offered how-to-guides
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that encouraged people to launch such initiatives in other communities.
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According to consultants at ShareIdeas, the idea to launch such a site was inspired by a speech
delivered by Ndidi Nwuneli (Ndidi), founder and CEO of LEAP Africa4 (LEAP), at a Nokia
stakeholder event in 2005. In her speech, Ndidi brought to focus the increasing demand for
information and demonstration on the usage of mobile communications to better support the work
requirements of people. Speaking at a Nokia stakeholder event, Ndidi said, “Groups like ours
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would really benefit from a resource that shows us how to use mobile technology to carry out our
work more effectively.”5
In addition to LEAP, several other NGOs also voiced the need for such an initiative. This
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prompted Nokia and Vodafone to launch ShareIdeas, a utility website that encouraged knowledge
sharing among mobile phone users across the world. Moreover, the notion behind the initiative
was to bring about revolutionary societal change in third world countries such as the sub Saharan
African countries, which had an all-time low connectivity score card6.
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The site was funded jointly by Nokia and Vodafone. The two companies also provided technical
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support to the site. The content to the site was uploaded by individuals and organizations using
mobile technology. The site was managed by an editorial panel which managed the content
uploaded to the site. The site also had an unofficial group of content advisors who represented
NGOs from different parts of the world, who offered services like planning and development of
web content.
1
Nokia is Finland- based multinational company and the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer. As of 2008, the
company had 128,445 employees. For the year ended, December 31, 2008, it had revenues of € 50.7 billion.
2
Vodafone is a UK-based global mobile networking company. For the year ended March 31, 2008, the company
reported revenues of £35.478 billion.
3
Wiki is a software that enables the user to edit content available on a web page through a web browser. It includes an
online community of writers who can write and create hyperlinks on the web page.
4
LEAP Africa is a Nigeria-based non governmental organization (NGO) that provides leadership training to youth and
entrepreneurs. LEAP stands for Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability, and Professionalism.
5
Dominic Basulto, “Nokia and Vodafone; Mobile Knowledge for Social Change,” www.futurelab.net.com, June 29,
2007.
6
The Connectivity scorecard takes into account 30 indicators of connectivity to measure the progress of information
technology in countries. It was developed by Leonard Waverman, Professor in Economics at the London Business
School.
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ShareIdeas.org: Social Innovation in the Mobile Phone Industry
The site’s first endeavor in generating ideas across several organizations was initiated through an
online seminar called “Webinar” in October 2007. The online seminar was inaugurated by the
keynote speaker Ken Banks (Banks) of Kiwanja.net7. Banks, in his lecture on “Applying Mobile
Technology in the Global Conservation and Development Effort”, spoke about the barriers to
mobile communication in several communities. Other participants at the webinar also presented
their experiences and shared ideas through an online chat method.
ShareIdeas enabled its users to browse through its content, share ideas, modify, as well as update
the content on the site. According to the ShareIdeas team of independent consultants, the
compelling features on the site were how-to-do guides and case studies. The how-to-do
instructional guides provided step-by-step guidelines to organizations and individuals on how to
integrate mobile technology in their businesses. It also enabled users to gather field data and
disseminate information throughout the communities. The site featured basic how-to-guides like
“How to send SMS messages step-by-step guide” that taught people how to make and send
messages using the short messaging service8 (SMS). These guides were used by people for
implementing environment friendly initiatives. For instance, in 2007, the World Wildlife Fund9
(WWF), Finland, in conjunction with Mermit Business Applications Limited10 initiated a Baltic
Sea Action Plan (BSAP). The BSAP aimed to use SMS system to undertake clean up activities in
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the Baltic Sea in case of an oil spill. Using the SMS facility, WWF planned to connect itself with
thousands of volunteer groups who would immediately come forward to help.
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Using the SMS facility, the site also imparted health education to people in underdeveloped
countries. It launched mobile games for countries like India and Africa to generate awareness and
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educate them about HIV/AIDS11. In The Philippines, the SMS facility enabled teachers residing in
the interior regions to gather education material for students.
In addition to the basic guides, the site also featured complex instruction guides like “How to
establish a remote monitoring network” which helped the users keep a check on energy usage,
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monitor attendance in schools, and even run small-scale retail businesses.
Another notable feature on the site was case studies. The case studies section had stories on
economic empowerment, health and education, civic engagement, and humanitarian relief. The
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case studies were looked upon as effective learning tools since the cases were mostly about issues
faced by the developing nations. Using these case studies, ShareIdeas aimed to encourage NGOs to
leverage on the increasing usage of mobile communications for social and economic causes.
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One of the projects highlighted as a real-life instance on the site was a project titled
“MobilEDaudio.wiki.” This was the pilot project initiated by the designers of the site in 2006. The
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project intended to develop learning in poor resource areas in South Africa. The sample population
of the project comprised 15 to 16 South African students. These students were asked to gather
information about the issues related to HIV/AIDS. The project established a connection between
mobile phones and a server. The server in turn was connected to the Wikipedia12 site. The students
collected information from Wikipedia through their mobile phones and came up with programs.
These programs were then uploaded on Wikipedia where other members of the community could
access it through their mobile phones. This project facilitated learning in regions which had poor
access to books and the Internet.
7
Kiwanja.net was founded in 2003. This website provides information communication technology services to various
non profit organizations.
8
SMS is a mobile application feature through which users can send and receive short text and picture messages.
9
WWF is an international organization that was established in 1961 to conserve and protect wildlife. It is
headquartered in Switzerland.
10
Mermit Business Development Limited is a Finland-based software company.
11
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). A
person infected with HIV is called HIV positive. In the long run, HIV leads to AIDS.
12
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia.
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ShareIdeas.org: Social Innovation in the Mobile Phone Industry
In addition to these success stories, the case study section also illustrated examples of projects
which had failed at the first instance. An example of this was the case study on ‘Warana Unwired
Village Project,’ which was started in 1998 by researchers from the Technology for Emerging
Markets Group13 at Microsoft Research India. The project was undertaken to help farmers in
Indian villages gain access to agricultural information. Initially, the project kicked off on an
encouraging note with the setting up of 50 computer equipped kiosks to link 40,000 farmers.
However, it failed to achieve the desired results on account of its technological limitations.
While the site expected to address social and environmental challenges with respect to mobile
communications, it also provided tips for helping NGOs to effectively communicate with their
teams and other NGOs and to coordinate their work better. It also helped them to collect and
disseminate information, financial management, tips to counter emergencies, organization
management, locate people and products, etc. Analysts opined that this site would also help Nokia
and Vodafone serve the dual purpose of providing social benefits and creating an opportunity for
them to promote their products and services. ShareIdeas believed that the success of the site in the
long run would rely on its capacity to build up sufficient community awareness across
organizations and individuals.
While a few experts opined that the site was interactive and had rich content, others felt that it did
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not offer any feature for users to comment on the site. Moreover, certain central communities were
locked and could not be accessed for editing purposes.
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Questions for Discussion:
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1. Discuss the rationale behind the launch of ShareIdeas.org.
2. Discuss the significance of mobile communications in handling social and environmental
challenges.
3. Do you think ShareIdeas.org is a social innovation? Give reasons for your answer.
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References & Suggested Readings:
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1. “New Website to Help NGOs ShareIdeas on How Mobile Technology Creates Social
Change,” www.nokia.com, June 20, 2007.
2. Elena Balan, “Nokia and Vodafone Launch Brainstorming Website,”
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www.softpedia.com, June 20, 2007.
3. “Nokia and Vodafone Website,” www.moldova.org, June 21, 2007.
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4. “Nokia, Vodafone New Website,” www.wirelessfederation.com, June 21, 2007.
5. “Nokia and Vodafone Help Share Ideas,” www.mobileindustryreview.com, June 22,
2007.
6. Dominic Basulto, “Nokia and Vodafone; Mobile Knowledge for Social Change,”
www.futurelab.net, June 29, 2007.
7. Colleen Kaman, “Mobile Technologies and Local Communities, Part 1 Examining
ShareIdeas.org,” www.centreforcivicmedia.com, October 24, 2007.
8. Srini, “Nokia Buys Plazes Location Based Social Network,” www.themobileweblog.com,
June 27, 2008.
9. “About FAQ,” www.shareIdeas.org.
13
Technology for Emerging Market Groups is one of the several research teams of Microsoft Research India, Indian
research wing of US software giant, Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Research India conducts research in different
areas of computer science like software engineering, multilingual systems, applied mathematics etc.
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ShareIdeas.org: Social Innovation in the Mobile Phone Industry
Cases on Related Topic:
• “Trevor Fields and the PlayPumps of Africa,” www.icmrindia.org
• “District of Columbia: Harnessing the Power of Information and Communication
Technology to Enable Good Governance,” www.icmrindia.org
• “Nokia's Chinese Operations,”
www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Operations/OPER070.htm -
• “Nokia Corporation: Reversing the Decline in Brand Value,”
www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Marketing/MKTG188.htm -
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